The present invention relates to drapes for equipment used in a medical setting. In a specific application, the present invention relates to drapes for large equipment and methods for covering large medical equipment (as opposed to hand-held devices).
Equipment used in sterile medical environments (such as a surgery room) must be sterile when entering a sterile field. Small equipment can be readily sterilized between each use or packaged in a sterile manner for single use. Large equipment, such as microscopes, are typically covered with a sterile drape rather than being sterilized after each use since doing so would be impractical.
A conventional method of applying a drape to large equipment, such as a microscope, requires the sterile medical personnel, or another person within the sterile field, to fully deploy the drape during the procedure. The drape is typically a large bag-like structure that is deployed over the equipment in a substantially unfolded state which creates a very unwieldy and awkward deployment since the user must manage the length of the bag while passing the open end of the bag around the equipment. Drapes of this nature may be 4-8 m long.
A problem with the conventional method of deploying a sterile drape over a piece of equipment is that the medical procedure is often delayed since one or more people within the sterile field must deploy the drape. This lengthens the procedure and takes time away from other tasks that could be undertaken.